Siren (TV series)
Siren | |
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Genre | Drama Thriller Fantasy Mystery |
Created by | Eric Wald Dean White |
Starring |
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Composer | Michael A. Levine |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 10 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producers |
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Producer |
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Production locations | Vancouver, British Columbia |
Cinematography |
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Camera setup | Single-camera |
Running time | 41–45 minutes |
Production companies |
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Original release | |
Network | Freeform |
Release | March 29, 2018 present | –
Siren (formerly known as The Deep[1]) is an American television drama series that premiered on Freeform on March 29, 2018.[2] The first season included 10 episodes.[3] On May 15, 2018, the series was renewed for a 16-episode second season, airing January 24, 2019.[4]
Plot
The coastal town of Bristol Cove, known for its legend of once being home to mermaids, is turned upside down when a mysterious young woman (Eline Powell) appears and begins wreaking havoc upon the small fishing town to look for her captured sister (Sibongile Mlambo) who was abducted at the hands of the local military. Marine biologists Ben (Alex Roe) and Maddie (Fola Evans-Akingbola) work together to find out who and what drove this primal hunter of the deep sea to land.
The second season focuses more on the magical and irresistible siren song and how it affects male humans differently, as well as the appearance of more merfolk—mermaids and mermen alike.
Cast and characters
Main
- Alex Roe as Ben Pownall, a marine biologist who helps Ryn and is entranced her melodiously irresistibly hypnotic siren song. He is the 4th great-grandson of renowned Charles Pownall who had fallen for a mermaid 150 years previously.
- Eline Powell as Ryn, a strange young mermaid with a dark secret. She comes ashore in search of her sister who had been accidentally captured by fisherman of the North Star motorboat.
- Ian Verdun as Xander McClure, a deep-sea fisherman who seeks to discover the truth. After his father is murdered warrior merman Levi, he seeks revenge but ends up fatally wounding Donna.
- Rena Owen as Helen Hawkins, an eccentric woman who seems to know much more about the merfolk than she claims. It is revealed that she is, in fact, one-eighth mermaid; being the last living descendant of the human/mermaid hybrid daughter of the late Charles Pownell and his mermaid love. She lacks the ability to transform in the ocean, having skipped her generation. This makes her Ben's distant paternal cousin-once-removed.
- Fola Evans-Akingbola as Maddie Bishop, a marine biologist who is also Ben's girlfriend. She is descended from the ancient Haida people. Her step-father is the sheriff of Bristol Cave, her estranged mother is Susan whom she finally hears from in the Season 1 finale.
- Sibongile Mlambo as Donna, a mystical and deceptively powerful mermaid who is Ryn's older sister. She was the reason Ryn came to the surface. She is accidentally shot by a vengeful Xander and later perishes from her wound, after which she is laid to rest along fellow mermaids who had perished in human form. Her demise caused Aldon Decker to kill himself via drowning, as he was entranced by her melodic siren song.
Recurring
- Chad Rook as Chris Mueller,[5] a fisherman who was taken to the military base after getting injured by Donna.
- Curtis Lum as Calvin, a fisherman who is also a friend and roommate of Xander.
- Ron Yuan as Aldon Decker, an expert on mermaids that works for the military.
- Gil Birmingham as Dale Bishop, the sheriff of the Bristol Cove Sheriff Department and Maddie's father.
- David Cubitt as Ted Pownall, Ben's father, head of the town's fishery industry.
- Sarah-Jane Redmond as Elaine Pownall, Ben's mother, who became paralyzed after an accident.
- Tammy Giles as Marissa Staub, the deputy of the Bristol Cove Sheriff Department.
- Hannah Levien as Janine, Calvin's girlfriend who is also a bartender at the Siren's Song.
- Andrew Jenkins as Doug Pownall, Ben's brother.
- Anthony Harrison as Admiral Harrison, the head of the military base where Donna was stored.
- Aylya Marzolf as Katrina, a mermaid alpha leader who loses her leadership to Ryn.[2]
- Sedale Threatt Jr. as Levi, a Merman warrior who murdered Xander's father in "Dead in the Water".[2]
Guest
- Brian Anthony Wilson as Sean McClure, Xander's father and captain of the fishing boat The North Star, who debuted in the show's premiere, "Pilot". He is murdered by merman "Levi" and has his body thrown in the sea, which is presented as a "fishing accident".
Episodes
Season 1 (2018)
No. | Title [6] | Directed by | Written by | Original air date [6] | U.S. viewers (millions) | |
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1 | "Pilot" | Scott Stewart | Story by : Eric Wald & Dean White Teleplay by : Eric Wald | March 29, 2018 | 0.87[7] | |
Bristol Cove has been known for having been home to mermaids for many centuries. Stories about such marine creatures has been passed down to children in many generations, and such stories marine biologist Ben Powell is forced to confront and believe with the arrival of a strange young girl called Ryn, who is secretly a mermaid in search of revenge. In her human form, Ryn seeks revenge for her sisters capture, but struggles with lack of communication with humans. Ryn's sister and crew member Chris a fisherman on board the fishing boat the "North Star", Bristol Cove's well known fishing boat, were captured by the military. When Ryn unexpectedly requires marine biologist Ben Pownall and his girlfriend Maddie Bishop's aid to help her find her sister, things start to go downhill in the peaceful town of Bristol Cove, and the two are forced to work together to locate both Ryn's sister, and Chris. | ||||||
2 | "The Lure" | Nick Copus | Eric Wald | March 29, 2018 | 0.87[7] | |
Ben, Xander and Xanders' father seek the ocean in hopes of catching a mermaid to help locate Chris, and solidify their belief that the government are hiding secrets within their walls. Aboard the North Star, Ben discovers a strange device in the water which emits the sounds of a mermaid that could lead to Chris. They decide to study it in case it is being tracked. Ryn discovers Helen and manages to communicate that she is looking for her sister. At the Military lab, tests are being conducted using Ryn's sisters stem cells and they come upon a frightening conclusion that the mermaids are not only what they appear to be. Ben shows Maddie the video footage recorded in the seal den where he dived in the water to save Ryn, but was met with her violence instead. Ben and Maddie take the strange device to Helen, which causes Ryn to become upset hearing her sister's painful screams. On the hunt for her sister, Ryn and Maddie are brought closer as she learns the ways of the humans and their stories. | ||||||
3 | "Interview With a Mermaid" | Jay Karas | Emily Whitesell | April 5, 2018 | 0.62[8] | |
Dale and the local police's investigation starts pointing directly to Ryn. Ben and Maddie convince Ryn to let them do some basic medical tests on her. Meanwhile Xander and Calvin's search for Chris heats up when they locate the nurse who works at the military bunker. | ||||||
4 | "On the Road" | Steven A. Adelson | Elle Triedman | April 12, 2018 | 0.68[9] | |
Thanks to the mermaid Donna, Chris escapes from the military base as he makes his way back to Bristol Cove. Meanwhile, Ryn starts to show signs of dehydration from being away from the ocean too long. | ||||||
5 | "Curse of the Starving Class" | John Badham | Michael Gans & Richard Register | April 19, 2018 | 0.69[10] | |
Ryn and Donna return to Bristol Cove to seek out Ben when there is over-fishing in their waters due to "recently" relaxed government regulations. | ||||||
6 | "Showdown" | Martha Coolidge | Holly Brix | April 26, 2018 | 0.59[11] | |
As Donna befriends Helen during the constant overfishing, Ben has an encounter with Aldon Decker at his mother's charity event. During their conversation, Ben deduces that Decker has heard a siren's song before and that it's stuck in his head; hence why he's involved with the military to find them. Meanwhile, tensions between Donna and Ryn begin to flare as they are split over their opinions of humans: thanks to her time at the military base, Donna wants to kill them all while Ryn refuses needless bloodshed. | ||||||
7 | "Dead in the Water" | Nick Copus | Ian Sobel & Matt Morgan | May 3, 2018 | 0.51[12] | |
Maddie rushes to the police station when she hears that Ryn was taken there by Marissa to be interrogated. As Ben and Xander return to the ocean with Sean to get some answers, they are attacked by some Merpeople. | ||||||
8 | "Being Human" | Amanda Tapping | Liz Maccie | May 10, 2018 | 0.50[13] | |
Ryn learns a new emotion as all of Bristol Cove mourns the death of Sean following the incident on the ocean. Each of it's citizens cope with Sean's death in various ways. | ||||||
9 | "Street Fight" | Joe Menendez | Zach Ayers | May 17, 2018 | 0.62[14] | |
Donna comes ashore with the alpha female Katrina and A Merman warrior named Levi in order to bring Ryn back to their home. In light of the merpeople attacking Bristol Cove, Sheriff Bishop works to put an end to it. | ||||||
10 | "Aftermath" | Nick Copus | Eric Wald & Emily Whitesell | May 24, 2018 | 0.66[15] | |
Following Donna succumbing to the gunshot wound that Xander put in her, the siren song that Ben and Decker hear starts to take their toll on them to the point where Aldon was found dead and Ryn rescues Ben before he could drown. Meanwhile, Sheriff Bishop deals with the recent crime rise and has to explain the cause of it to the town council. |
Season 2 (2019)
Production
Development
On July 25, 2016, Freeform orders a pilot titled The Deep, based on a story by Eric Wald and Dean White, who will serve as executive producers on the pilot, Wald wrote the script. Scott Stewart will direct the pilot, and Emily Whitesell will serve as the showrunner.[1] On April 19, 2017, the series was officially picked up with the current title for broadcast in the summer of 2018.[16]
On October 7, it was announced that the series would be released on March 29, 2018 in a two-hour event.[2]
Casting
On August 24, 2016, Eline Powell joined the cast in the role of Po (rennamed Ryn) and Rena Owen as Helen.[17] On September 26, 2016, Ian Verdun joined the cast in the role of Xander, followed by a few days of Alex Roe and Fola Evans-Akingbola in the roles of Ben and Maddie, respectively.[18][19] Chad Rook announced on May 16, 2017 via twitter that he will be in the series playing Chris Mueller. On July 26, 2017, it was announced that Sibongile Mlambo joined the cast as regular as Donna.[20]
Music
Michael A. Levine is the composer of Siren's score.[21][22] The haunting and seductive Siren Call was written and composed by Levine and performed by singer/songwriter Mariana Barreto. Throughout the composition cycle, Levine incorporated the sounds of the tenor violin, octave viola (ciola), and the gusli.[22] A soundtrack release date has yet to be announced by Freeform.[23]
Filming
The pilot was filmed in October 2016, in British Columbia, Canada.[24] Pre-production started on July 26, 2017.[25] The official shooting of the remaining episodes began on August 4, 2017,[26] and continued until November 22, 2017.[24]
Marketing
The trailer was released on April 19, 2017, the same day it was picked up.[27] The first episode was shown at the New York Comic Con in October 2017.[28]
Reception
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the series has an approval rating of 94% based on 16 reviews, with an average rating of 7.75/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Siren turns traditional lore on its tail with a unique, well-paced show that presents dangerous, violent mythical creatures in a surprisingly empathetic and exciting light."[29]
Ratings
No. | Title | Air date | Rating (18–49) |
Viewers (millions) |
DVR (18–49) |
DVR viewers (millions) |
Total (18–49) |
Total viewers (millions) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "Pilot" | March 29, 2018 | 0.3 | 0.87[7] | 0.3 | 0.83 | 0.6 | 1.70[30] |
2 | "The Lure" | March 29, 2018 | 0.3 | 0.87[7] | 0.3 | 0.77 | 0.6 | 1.64[30] |
3 | "Interview With a Mermaid" | April 5, 2018 | 0.2 | 0.62[8] | 0.3 | 0.64 | 0.5 | 1.26[31] |
4 | "On the Road" | April 12, 2018 | 0.3 | 0.68[9] | 0.3 | 0.78 | 0.6 | 1.46[32] |
5 | "Curse of the Starving Class" | April 19, 2018 | 0.3 | 0.69[10] | — | — | — | — |
6 | "Showdown" | April 26, 2018 | 0.2 | 0.59[11] | 0.3 | 0.85 | 0.5 | 1.44[33] |
7 | "Dead in the Water" | May 3, 2018 | 0.2 | 0.51[12] | — | — | — | — |
8 | "Being Human" | May 10, 2018 | 0.2 | 0.50[13] | 0.2 | 0.68 | 0.4 | 1.17[34] |
9 | "Street Fight" | May 17, 2018 | 0.2 | 0.62[14] | — | — | — | — |
10 | "Aftermath" | May 24, 2018 | 0.2 | 0.66[15] | 0.3 | 0.69 | 0.5 | 1.34[35] |
Accolades
Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2018 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Breakout TV Show | Siren | Nominated | [36] |
Broadcast
In the United Kingdom, the series premiered on SyFy on May 3, 2018.[37] In Australia, the series premiered on Fox8 HD, on July 30, 2018.
References
- ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (July 26, 2016). "'The Deep' Mermaid Thriller Drama Picked Up To Pilot By Freeform". Deadline. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
- ^ a b c d Ramos, Dino-Ray (October 7, 2017). "Freeform's Mermaid Drama 'Siren' Gets Premiere Date, Casts Duo, Releases Clip". Deadline. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
- ^ "Siren on Freeform". The Futon Critic. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
- ^ Roots, Kimberly (May 15, 2018). "Siren Renewed for Season 2 at Freeform". TVLine. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
- ^ Chad Rook (@ChadRook) on Twitter—Twitter Confirmation of Chad Rook being part of Siren cast (May 16, 2017)
- ^ a b "Siren". Zap2it. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
- ^ a b c d Metcalf, Mitch (March 30, 2018). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Thursday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.29.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
- ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (April 6, 2018). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Thursday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 4.5.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
- ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (April 13, 2018). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Thursday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 4.12.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
- ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (April 20, 2018). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Thursday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 4.19.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
- ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (April 27, 2018). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Thursday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 4.26.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
- ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (May 4, 2018). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Thursday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.3.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
- ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (May 11, 2018). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Thursday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.10.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
- ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (May 18, 2018). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Thursday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.17.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
- ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (May 25, 2018). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Thursday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.24.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
- ^ Nellie Andreeva & Jeremy Gerard (April 19, 2017). "Freeform Picks Up Mermaid Drama 'Siren' & 'Hollywood Movie Night' To Series, Orders Animated Pilot 'Sticks' – Upfront". Deadline. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
- ^ Petski, Denise (August 24, 2016). "'The Deep' Pilot Casts Eline Powell & Rena Owen; 'Claws' Adds Jason Antoon". Deadline. Retrieved August 24, 2016.
- ^ Petski, Denise (September 26, 2016). "'The Deep': Ian Verdun Joins Freeform's Mermaid Thriller Drama Pilot". Deadline. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
- ^ Petski, Denise (October 6, 2016). "'The Deep': Alex Roe & Fola Evans-Akingbola Round Out Cast Of Freeform Pilot". Deadline. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
- ^ Petski, Denise (July 26, 2017). "'Siren': Sibongile Mlambo Cast As Series Regular In Freeform Drama". Deadline. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
- ^ "Michael A. Levine Scoring Freeform's 'Siren' | Film Music Reporter". filmmusicreporter.com. Retrieved 2018-05-30.
- ^ a b "PODCAST: Siren Composer Michael A. Levine". 2018-04-04. Retrieved 2018-05-30.
- ^ "Siren Renewed for Season 2 at Freeform". Fears Magazine. Retrieved 2018-05-30.
- ^ a b "Siren Season 1 Starts Filming in Vancouver". whatsfilming.ca. August 2, 2017. Retrieved August 2, 2017.
- ^ "Freeform's Siren Dives Into Production". Freeform. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
- ^ Rena Owen [@RenaOwen] (August 4, 2017). "Siren Season 1 Starts Filming in Vancouver (link: http://www.whatsfilming.ca/2017/08/02/siren-season-1-starts-filming-vancouver/) whatsfilming.ca/2017/08/02/sir… via @whatsfilming" (Tweet). Retrieved August 4, 2017 – via Twitter.
- ^ Swift, Andy (April 17, 2017). "Freeform Releases First Trailers for Magazine Drama The Bold Type, Mermaid Thriller Siren — Watch". TVLine. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
- ^ Streaty, Christian (October 9, 2017). "Interviews with the Cast and Producers of Siren at NYCC 2017". talknerdywithus. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
- ^ "Siren: Season 1 (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
- ^ a b Porter, Rick (April 11, 2018). "'Siren' premiere doubles in cable Live +7 ratings for March 26-April 1". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
- ^ Porter, Rick (April 19, 2018). "'Fixer Upper' finale goes out strong: Cable Live +7 ratings for April 2–8". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
- ^ Porter, Rick (April 26, 2018). "'The Last O.G.' scores for TBS in cable Live +7 ratings for April 9–15". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
- ^ Porter, Rick (May 10, 2018). "'Suits' finale gets solid bump in cable Live +7 ratings for April 23–29". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- ^ Porter, Rick (May 24, 2018). "'Atlanta' finale gets a good boost in cable Live +7 ratings for May 7–13". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
- ^ Porter, Rick (June 7, 2018). "'Krypton' finale gets a big bump in cable Live +7 ratings for May 21–27". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
- ^ Cohen, Jess (June 13, 2018). "Teen Choice Awards 2018: Avengers: Infinity War, Black Panther and Riverdale Among Top Nominees". E! Online. Archived from the original on June 13, 2018. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
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suggested) (help) - ^ "SYFY Sets UK Premiere Date For 'Siren' - TVWise". TVWise. 2018-04-02. Retrieved 2018-05-05.